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M.A.X & Lloyd & IMAN

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M.A.X & Lloyd & IMAN

Mysteryland USA Artists Reveal Their Favorite Fan Moments

The most memorable festivals are ones that play on their environment as part of the experience, and Mysteryland USA's location is unparalleled in its rich history. As the original location of Woodstock '69, Bethel Woods, NY is a mecca for live music fans from across the genre spectrum and throughout time. Generations of fans have made the voyage to the ex-dairy farm to relish in the artists they love, and EDM.com asked a few of MLUSA's what some of their favorite fan moments were from their careers. They even dug deep in the crates to fill us in on which record they felt best represented the spirit of Woodstock '69. Check out the responses below!

1. Dillon Francis | Sunday | Main Stage

Fan Moment: My favorite moment is when fans tell me they that they have seen me countless times, and that I keep getting better at my craft and blowing their mind… It’s amazing to know that that person keeps coming back and has an amazing different experience each time.

Song: Any Jimi Hendrix song TBH

2. Netsky (live) | Sunday | Main Stage

Fan Moment: It’s not really a fan moment but after my first main stage set a couple of years ago in my hometown Antwerp, my friend Murdock (who I was playing back to back with) asked his girlfriend to marry him straight after our set. Never gonna forget that moment!

Song: Santana - "Soul sacrifice," I think it's widely agreed to be one of the most memorable moments of Woodstock. This track makes me want to live in the 60s. I wish people did solos like this on festivals today.

3. Matthew Dear | Saturday | Subversions

Fan Moment: Back in 2004, in Boulder, CO at a Day of the Dead party, I brought my mom to the show. She was hanging out behind the booth and a guy dressed up like a crazy scientist came up to her and said "Thank you for the conception!"

Song: "Freedom" by Richie Havens. The unity between his body, mind and guitar is incomparable. He was a mountain of energy.

4. Bro Safari | Saturday | The Boat

Fan Moment: THE ANIMAL HOUSE TOURS

Song: CCR - "BORN ON THE BAYOU"

5. Moon Boots | Sunday | French Express

Fan Moment: This one is from early on but it's tough to beat. Perseus and I were playing one of our first gigs ever in LA and a fan came down who had just gotten a cochlear implant, an amazing new surgery that restores hearing in people who have been effectively deaf their entire lives. Long story short, our gig was the first time he had every heard music in a club setting. He was knocked over, and we were grateful to be part of that experience.

Song: I would say "The Weight" by The Band. My dad went to Woodstock and The Band was always his favorite rock group aside from maybe The Beatles or Stones. Plus a number of the members live or have lived in Woodstock since then so they're obvious ambassadors of the Woodstock vibe. It's very different from the music I make now, but I always thought it was cool how they weren't about mind-melting guitar solos or brash personalities (mostly at least), just great songwriting and great playing -- especially on keys, my main instrument.

6. Anna Lunoe | Sunday | Webster Hall

Fan Moment: The best moments are after the set on the nights when everyone in the crowd feels like they went somewhere together. Most gigs are great, but I can only remember this truly happening a handful of times. One of my favs was at Kaleidoscope fest in Eugene. It was extra special because I actually stage dove for the first and only time! It was when I had first moved to the USA, and I had taken all these risks and played so all over the place. They just seemed to trust me completely... so I weirdly just jumped into the crowd. I just knew they would deliver me back safely and not do anything not cool to me. Honestly they carried me like I was a precious little egg. They gave me candy, gifts and hugs. They were hugging each other, and they followed my buggy when I left the festival. It was the most magical moment for me maybe ever.

Song: I had a fascination with this era as a teenager actually. When I was 18, I travelled around America and went to San Francisco and endlessly read books on this era. I always think about Jimi Hendrix playing the "Star Spangled Banner" when I think of Woodstock. He was one of my first idols as a kid because my dad was a bassist and really loved him, and actually jammed with him once when he was young. Actually on The Weeknd tour, I had a day off in Seattle and I went out to his grave and paid my respects! His music is still so incredible to me.

7. Benoit & Sergio (live) | Saturday | Zeitgeist

Fan Moment: Our most surreal fan moment has to be July 4th, 2014. We had finished a show at Verboten in New York the night before and were jamming over to Wavefront Festival in Chicago. We ran into Thugfucker at la Guardia. No one had slept. We all flew together to Chicago, got off the plane together, walked to baggage claim and then we encountered three or four eager teenage boys waiting for Benoit and I at the luggage carousel with pens and blank sheets of paper. They start asking us for autographs, then they start apologizing that the sheets are blank--but that they were going to superimpose the autographs on pictures of us when they got back home, which was in Joliet, Illinois or somewhere far from Chicago. Benoit, Thugfucker and I--we were just sort of looking at each other as we signed these blank sheets of paper--and all I was thinking was "How did they know we'd be on this flight?" Then I started getting a bit paranoid, thinking this is all some strange identity theft scheme. So then we left them and got into two separate cars, and I kept waiting for a few days to see my money drained somehow from my bank account. Gradually that fear abated (though not entirely). At least somewhere there are some teenage boys in Joliet with our autographs on imaginary photos of us, hanging, hopefully, from their walls as they say their nightly prayers before bed.

Song: “Fortunate Son" by Creedence Clearwater Revival captured the anti-war ethos of '69 in a way that seems almost impossible these days--mainly because current music, at least mass-produced music, has become an Actiq lollipop on which we suckle ourselves into a warm haze of forgetfulness. And music that is overtly political now—Rage Against the Machine--feels forced and staged, like walking into a reenactment of a civil war reenactment of a renaissance fair.

8. Sweater Beats | Sunday | Webster Hall

Fan Moment: Realizing how real the ShipFam thing is and hearing that being chanted in the crowd on multiple dates on my last tour.

Song: "Purple Haze!" I think that was pretty much the vibe for the whole festival. Woodstock and Hendrix go hand in hand.

9. Mija | Sunday | Webster Hall

Fan Moment: No doubt I have some of the kindest, most genuine fans out there so it's really hard to pick just one moment. The best ones, however, typically occur after a show when I get to meet them, give sweaty hugs and hear their stories; where they traveled from, what brought them to the show, how my music has affected them, etc.

At the end of the day, I just want to create experiences that my fans can resonate with and remember foreva.

Song: The Doors - "Hello I Love You." I've basically been obsessed with The Doors (specifically Jim Morrison) since I can remember. If I had been around during Woodstock '69 and heard those intro drums of this song, you best bet I would have put my flower crown on quick and run for the hills.

10. Bob Moses | Saturday | Main Stage

Fan Moment: A fan of ours drove like 9 or 10 hours to see us play this little place in Seattle. She gave us these weird stickers she and her friends had made, and they are still on our guitar case and laptop. It always gives us a laugh when we are stuck in some airport line and need a cheer up.

Song: Jimi Hendrix playing the "Star Spangled Banner" tripped out on acid.